Lost and Found
Address: 1201 East Walnut Street, Springfield, MO 65802
Business Hours: Monday – Friday 8:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
Lost and Found provides loving support in a safe place where children, teens, and families who are grieving a death can share their experiences as they move through the healing process. It is a safe place where children and their families can establish an outlet for their grief and learn coping mechanisms that they can use over and over.
Description of Services
The center is based on four principles, including:
- Grief is a natural reaction to the loss of someone
- The intensity and duration of grief is different for each person
- People have the capacity within to heal themselves
- Caring and compassion helps in the grieving process.
The center was designed to offer a safe and caring environment where grieving children and their families can share their experiences while they heal. The goal of the staff is to help their clients work through the sadness by acknowledging the loss and experiencing the pain of the loss, but eventually have the clients reinvest in their lives.
Cost of Service
Lost and Found does not receive monetary support from the government, insurance agencies, or third party payers. They do not charge mandatory dues from the families that use the centers services. Families are asked to contribute as they are able, but no child is ever turned away. The staff consists of all volunteers and the center survives on donations.
Initiating Referral
People find Lost and Found through many different resources. These resources include funeral directors, doctors, hospice workers, nurses, counselors, word mouth, and self-referrals. Future clients or those with potential referrals can call during business hours for more information or leave a message and a staff member will return the call as soon as possible.
Types of Providers
Members of the Lost and Found Board of Directors and the volunteer facilitators help provide the environment for children and their families to learn how to grieve and to heal. The providers seen at the agency include lawyers, doctors, nurses, counselors, psychologists, journalists, and homemakers.